Gap-toothed boy

Xander lost a tooth last night. He's really starting to look like a first-grader!

Our first week of school has been good. Maia got to go to daycare for the first time ever in her whole life last week on Thursday afternoon. I took her to a big commercial daycare just down the street from us because of where they're located, their reputation, and the fact that they'll take kids as drop-ins for an hourly rate.

When I went to pick her up, they said, "She did.... okay." Not the glowing review you hope for when it comes to your kids! They tried to put her down for a nap, but she didn't have her blanket, and also she doesn't usually take a nap until 3:30 or 4:00 (works good with my after-school lesson schedule), so she was not having anything to do with that.

Oh well, she'll start to enjoy her time eventually, right? Hopefully, it's not a permanent solution for us. I'm thinking we should be able to find a college student to help us out a few days a week. We're going to need someone to put the kids to bed on Wednesday nights since worship team practice won't start until 8:00, and we're going to kind of have a small group (we're not going to be an official one until we find out about whether or not we're switching churches... Read Matt's blog) on Sunday nights, so we're going to need some regular help.

Xander, meanwhile, loves school. All City Elementary is a great school, and even though the drive is a bit of an inconvenience, it's so great to get to be a part of his classroom every week. I go on Thursday afternoons (that's why Maia has to go to daycare), so last Thursday was my first day. It's a great way for parents to get to know every kid in the class, and several of the parents, as we volunteer together. We get to do such things as playground duty, lunch duty, grade papers, help with classroom work, make copies, and basically anything the teacher needs. It's a great concept. The school doesn't have to pay teacher's aides, the classroom size can be a lot bigger, there is hardly ever a discipline problem- because your mom or someone else's is always there!- the kids really are respectful, no student gets "left behind" because there's always someone available to help him or her, and we as parents get a realistic view of our kids' performance in the classroom. It's great. I'm so glad we have been given this opportunity!

This week, Xander brought his "Me Bag" to school. The kids were given a small paper bag to put 5 items in that help explain who they are. Xander put a picture of him and Maia, a Bionicle, a Lego robot that he made himself, a green Hot Wheels car and the number 6.

Dancing with Daddy

Aren't these the sweetest pictures?

Fun Weekend

We had a final weekend of fun before starting school on Monday. The kids and I went down to Yankton for Riverboat Days. We spent the night Friday night, the kids stayed over on Saturday night too. We had a great time. A little too much sun, perhaps, but it's a good fun to have as a good-bye to summer.

We went to the parade Saturday morning. Here we are waiting for things to start happening:


Things got kind of interesting once the parade finally got to us. We got to see the Budweiser Clydsedales, (I think I caught the horse on the left mid-whinny!)


Some other interesting parade entries:

...Fat guy in a little truck

You know why bagpipers walk while they play?
To get away from all that noise!

Interestingly, the Wells Fargo Wagon was one of the parade entries that didn't throw candy... I guess kids don't really care if the Wells Fargo Wagon is a comin' down the street anymore.
I love this one. He was in the parade last year too. For those of us not schooled in farm machinery, it's a manure spreader.

Here's a SD style "howdy" to end the parade.

After the parade, we went to the park, where we indulged in fair-style food (Tina, I don't think the Indiana State Fair has anything on the food at Yankton Riverboat Days!) Then Xander enjoyed the teeny ferris wheel
and the inflatable kid zone


Meanwhile, Maia danced with Spider Man. (Inflatable kid?)
After that, it was time for a nap (for everyone except Xander). We went back to Mom & Jim's and rested for a while, had some dinner and then went out on the boat. Xander is quite a water bug. He had a great time.
He and grandma spent quite a bit of time in the water (it wasn't as hot out as it looks in these pictures- there was a lot of teeth-chattering going on all around)

Maia spent more time on the boat. All of it, really.

Xander learned how to go in the tube with Uncle Casey a couple of weeks ago, and wanted to show off his mad skills. He tried it at first with Grandma, but felt like they were tipping over backwards. That's because they were.

Then did it all on his own.

The other thing he learned from Uncle Casey is that it's OK to pee in the lake. He was delighted to demonstrate that ability as well. Off the back of the boat. I didn't take pictures, but I was proud- as you can imagine.

There was some reference to a "Redneck Yacht Club"

First Day of First Grade

Well, today was Xander's first day in a 'real' school setting. He did great. Loved it. Only one little hitch. I got a phone call shortly after noon from the principal at All City Elementary, a public school that has required parental involvment, a reorganized weekly schedule and is really hard to get into. They had a last-minute drop-out, and had a spot for Xander available tomorrow if he wants it.

So I had to go pick up Xander from one school, apologize to his teacher and principal and gather all his stuff and get him re-registered at a different school.

ACE will be a lot farther away, about a 20-minute drive, and I'll have to figure out what to do with Maia on Thursday afternoons when I volunteer in the classroom (with 2 other parents). It's going to be a tight squeeze getting back home in time to teach lessons after school on Monday, Tuesday and Thursday afternoons, but hopefully we can hook up with a carpool from this neighborhood.

So, it was a bit different than I expected, and Xander was slightly put out with me because he made a new friend today and didn't even get to say good-bye.

I guess we'll have a second first day of first grade tomorrow.

Happy Anniversary!

Yesterday, Matt & I celebrated our 14th wedding anniversary.

14.

I feel really old! Next month will mark 18 years since we started dating!

But we had fun anyway. We had some expert babysitters (my dad and step mom came up for the evening), went to see "Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest" (I think I liked the first one better), then did a little shopping at the mall and went to have sushi at a wonderful little Japanese restaurant downtown.

This was only my second experience in eating sushi, the first was at a little restaurant in Greeley, CO. Because if you want to eat really fresh raw fish, Colorado and South Dakota are the places to do it! We got a sample platter of sushi and a sample platter of deep fried fish. The first fried thing I bit into had long stringy tentacles! I was surprised at how tender the raw fish was, especially the tuna. I guess I expected it to be really rubbery and smell like the Missouri River or something. I did not like the texture of the squid, but the tuna, salmon, scallops, shrimp, and eel were all very good. (We had a map, or I wouldn't have been able to identify the fish except by color- Mmmm, pink). And I feel fine this morning. I'm not sure about Matt, he's still asleep. (Coma?)

In other news, we get to have Xander's Open House carnival at school today. He'll get to meet his teacher, and find out which classroom he'll be in, hopefully meet some classmates, then we get to stay for fun at a carnival sponsored by the PTA, complete with inflatables and games and food and stuff. Lucky for Matt (who just LOVES stuff like that), I get to leave early because I have Bible study tonight. He gets to drag the kids home and put them to bed. I get two nights off!

We only have 5 more days until school starts, so we're going to try to use them as well as we can. Matt's off work again today, two days in a row feels like a holiday or something! (If it was a real holiday he'd have to work, but he'd get paid time and a half.)

Reading Right Now

I've started two new books. Well 3 (to imitate the writer of Proverbs). I am currently reading:

"Divine" by Karen Kingsbury, a contemporary parable of the life of Mary Magdalene
"Velvet Elvis" by Rob Bell, and
"Living Beyond Yourself" by Beth Moore.

It's interesting that these 3 books should intersect at this point in my life. I read a lot. Usually I average a novel a week, though last week I read 2 1/2. Of course, those are usually Christian fiction, stories that get me roped in and invested in the lives of the characters. The kind you can't put down. And unless I recognize the cover, I sometimes read them twice and don't realize it until I'm over halfway through.

"Velvet Elvis" is nothing like that. It's one of Matt's favorite non-fiction books. I've only read the introduction so far, but if I were to sum it up in one sentence, I'd say the gist of the book (at least the introductory chapter) is this: Christianity is an ever-evolving faith that must be deconstructed and reconstructed by each generation, building upon the wisdom of ages past and understanding the current culture enough to realize that the truths that former generations built their lives around are as real today as ever, in order to understand that the Word of God is living and active and so is the Christian faith.

That's a really long sentence, but really, do you expect anything different from me? (See former entry: "FOUR things about me." HA!)

So I can see that "Velvet Elvis" is going to be challenging and educational. (I'll have to force myself to read it though)

"Divine" is unlike any other Kingsbury book I've ever read. Karen usually has a way of writing that makes you cry and laugh within paragraphs of each other. Your heart gets very emotionally involved in the story she tells and she's very romantic. Sometimes to the extreme that I wonder if romantic "first love" feelings become a bit of an idol in her stories. But this book is much different. I told Matt last night that it's much more Francine Rivers in nature. It has a lot of the same flavor as Rivers' book, "Redeeming Love" or "The Atonement Child." It's an excellent read for anyone involved in counseling victims of sexual and physical abuse. It's helping me remember that life is a lot harder for people not in my little social circle, and that the devil sinks his talons deep once he gets a foothold (or stronghold as Beth Moore would put it).

"Living Beyond Yourself" is a Beth Moore Bible study, my fourth one since last September. It's an older study of Beth's but her topics are timeless and so God-directed that no matter when you do one of her studies, God speaks to your heart loud and clear. This one is on the fruits of the Spirit. (Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness, Goodness, Faithfulness and Self-Control). I'm doing the study with only 2 other women, Martha and Laura. We are all in serious need of some fresh living water in our lives.

Things I've gleaned so far: God's ways are so much bigger than ours and completely beyond my comprehension. I guess I have to be reminded of this frequently. His purpose for me is beyond what I can accomplish on my own, my current situation is beyond my control and in His hands, and I need His help to shape my character in my daily interactions with my family and others. Women have been given the gift of influence, and we're really good at it. THAT's why we need to be filled with the Spirit. We need to use our power for good! :)

The topic of martyrdom vs. prosperity preaching also came up. A quote that I found particularly interesting was from a missionary to China who was later beheaded for his ministry: "Let us remind ourselves that the Great Commission was never qualified by clauses calling for advance only if funds were plentiful and no hardship or self-denial involved. On the contrary, we are told to expect tribulation and even persecution, but with it victory in Christ."

I think our brand of Christianity is pretty tame and doesn't take risks leaning on the strength and provision of Jesus enough.

Matt & I also had a conversation the other day that really boiled down to this: If Jesus is the ONE THING, the thing we truly center our lives around, then we don't need to be concerned about other people's struggles, habits, addictions, or lifestyles. That's Jesus' job to work out in each one of us. We are called to center our lives around him and "The things of the earth will grow strangely dim."

OK, so that was a very outward focus (martyrdom & evangelism) and a very inward focus (Jesus as the center of my life). I suppose that's the paradox for my life today.

Anyway, all this to say that it's not all about macaroni & cheese and potty training at my house. I have thoughts that could fit in with Matt's blog too!

Little Known Facts

In response to being called out on my friend Tina's blog, I am answering some information about myself, though most of my readers are immediate family, so this may not be as revealing as one might think.

Four Things About Me
Things you may not have known about me...

A) Four jobs that I have had:
I can't narrow it down to 4. Here's 4 periods of my life and the various and interesting jobs I held during them. Am I an over-achiever or do I have ADD?:
1. Jr. High/ High School- Sheldon, IA:

• Paper carrier for the Des Moines Register at age 14- one of those 5 am, 7 days a week deals (money which actually paid for our wedding rings only a few years later!)
  
• Lifeguard for the Sheldon Indoor Pool
  
• Pharmacist's Assistant at Family Drug
  
• Checker at Hy-Vee (grocery store), including a summer doing night shift. All the commercials about working night shift at a grocery store are pretty accurate.

2. Undergraduate USD- Vermillion, SD:

• Checker at another Hy-Vee (no night shift this time)
• Housekeeper at the Comfort Inn (cheerleaders have the second worst rooms to clean up. Obscenely overweight guy who used the sheets instead of the toilet was the worst)
• Front desk worker at the same Comfort Inn. Extreme step up in the world of hotel workers.
• Singer/ Dancer at the Red Garter Saloon at Valleyfair! Theme park South of Minneapolis, MN. Perks included free admission to the park (as long as we didn't wear our costumes), and getting to work in any other area of the park for the same elevated pay rate, so I also worked in wardrobe and the IMAX theatre.
  
• Staff and eventually head honcho at Sheldon High School Summer Theatre program (5 summers)
  

3. Graduate School- UNC- Greeley, CO (I did all this while a full-time graduate student):

• Graduate assistant- recruiting, rehearsing & directing my very own collegiate choir.
• Receptionist- MIRROR student newspaper.
• Music Reviews- MIRROR student newspaper.
• Advertising Manager - MIRROR student newspaper (I spent a lot of time there)
• Children's Choir Director- First United Methodist Church, Greeley
• Adult Choir Director- First United Methodist Church, Greeley
• Private Voice and Piano lessons (started in 1994, I'm still at it 12 years later!)
• Model (short lived, unsuccessful career. Photos all destroyed. Don't ask.)
  

4. Life after college:

• Music/ creative arts associate at Hanfield United Methodist Church (nice new webpage!)
• Voice teacher - Indiana Wesleyan University
• Voice & Piano teacher - my home
• Crisis Pregnancy Center peer counselor (volunteer, but I thought of it as a job)
  
• Independent Jewelry consultant- Premier Designs jewelry
• Soon to start: Voice teacher - University of Sioux Falls.
  

B) Four movies I would watch over and over:

1. Far and Away- I know it's old, but I'm sentimental and I love the story.
2. When Harry Met Sally- same reason.
3. Phantom of the Opera-at the risk of ruining theatre attendance, I wish more musicals would make productions like this.
   
4. Pirates of theCaribbeann - mmmm... Johnny Depp. 'Nuf said.
   

C) Four (OK Six) places I have lived

1. On a farm outside Lake Andes, SD
   
2. Sheldon, IA
   
3. Vermillion, SD
   
4. Greeley, CO
5. Marion, IN
6. Sioux Falls, SD
   

D) Four TV shows I love to watch:

1. Lost
2. Extreme Makeover: Home Edition
   
3. American Idol
   
4. I'd really rather read than watch TV, so to add to the list,
   

Four Books I've Enjoyed Lately:

1. The O'Malley series by Dee Henderson
2. "Death Match" by Lincoln Child
3. "I Am Not But I Know I AM" by Louie Giglio
4. "A Heart Like His" by Beth Moore (a study on the life of David. Also available as a group study)
   

E) Four places I have been on vacation:

1. Orlando, FL- the whole Disney/ Epcot/ Universal thing with my family when we were all grown. Great memories
   
2. Matt's grandparents' place in Ontario, Canada
   
3. Black Hills, SD (see earlier post from June)
   
4. Vacations have been limited to going home to visit family from IN, and now, going back to IN to visit friends. Next summer is our 15th anniversary. We really need a real vacation, don't you think? (We'll accept donations)
   

F) Four websites I visit daily:
I don't visit much daily. I do try to keep track of my friends' blogs, including Tina's, Kyle & Adela's and Matt's (good to know what he's pondering every once in a while). Mostly, I visit my bank's website, the weather channel, maybe look for recipes online... Not very exciting, I'm afraid.

G) Four of my favorite foods: This year, I have developed a new love of cooking. It's interesting that I make most of my favorite foods.

1. Cheesy Chicken Enchiladas (recipe courtesy Grandma Georgie)
   
2. Thai Chicken Pizza (Recipe courtesy Martha Swift)
   
3. Ice cream in the peanut butter/ chocolate category
4. Mediterranean Steak Salad (Recipe courtesy Pampered Chef)
   

H) Four places I would rather be right now:…
This seems like negative thinking. Why would I want to be anywhere but right here in my own living room with Maia in bed (key element to my rest) and Matt & Xander playing cards on the floor a few feet away? I guess if I had to choose...

1. Living in our own house here in Sioux Falls with 3 bedrooms... but I don't see this happening in the near future.
   
2. A real vacation would be nice. See "E" above.
3. I like dressing up to go out and do anything, attend a concert, participate in a concert, go to dinner, go dancing... just getting dressed up for a night on the town is fun. (hint, Matt) :)
4. Worship conferences/ big events are always a lot of fun. Haven't been to one in about 2 1/2 years.
   

Four Interesting Facts About Me
This isn't part of the original list of questions, but this is information that wasn't covered elsewhere.

1. I've had 4 concussions in my life: 1.) hitting head on ice on my birthday at Grandpa Eitemiller's (probably about age 5 or 6- I don't remember, I had a concussion!) 2.) Falling from the top of the ladder of the high dive to the cement, age 8 or so; 3.) Nasty bicycle accident (age 15) in which I ran over a cat (we think) and went head first over the handlebars, went to the hospital, etc.) 4.) Heck if I can remember what the 4th one was... I know it happened though. How did I graduate on the honor roll?
2. I intentionally dyed my hair purple when I was in my 30's.
3. Matt & I started dating 18 years ago. Before most kids that are going to be this year's high school seniors were born. I don't feel that old!
4. Aside from two brief forays into Canada, I have never been outside the continental US. I've never even been more than a few feet over the Continental Divide (we did go up and visit while living in Colorado). Sounds like time for a trip to Europe... :)
   

I am supposed to tag four people. I'm not going to. If you think this is fun, you can send me your answers via email (mattnamy@sio.midco.net) or post it on your own blog.

Maia's Alphabet

(To be sung with as much enthusiasm as possible)
"A B C B E B G! H A B E M ... G!
U M F, G U P,
Double-Y, F, My G!"

I also enjoy her rendition of the Spongebob Squarepants theme song: (also sung with as much enthusiasm as one can muster. Any tune will do.)
"Bushe Bob Pancake,
Bushe Bob Pancake,
Bushe Bob..... PANCAKE!"

Run Away and Join the Circus

As a member of the National Association of Teachers of Singing (NATS), I regularly get audition information for all kinds of national and international opportunities, but today's mailing was by far the most unusual I've ever received. I got an invitation to audition for the Cirque du Soliel. I have to say, the parts they are auditioning for sound very interesting, and I haven't aged out of most of them yet. I'm not sure I'm exactly what they're looking for, however. While I enjoy a great amount of diversity of styles when it comes to singing, I really couldn't tell you what "Ethnic Arpeggiations" are and I have none of the prerequisite Bulgarian singing in my background required for one of the roles.

I told Xander what the letter was about and he thought it sounded like fun until I told him that unless Daddy could get a job with the circus as well (the available male roles really don't suit Matt), then I'd have to be away from our family for 2 years. He didn't think that sounded like a good idea. Though Matt pointed out that it might not be the craziest thing we've done in the last year. I think he might like the change of pace.

Back in the real world, the kids and I went to the local free wading pool for the 3rd day in a row. Matt has the day off and got to join us today and I was surprised to realize that he'd never been to the McKennan park pool with us. We met up with Rena & Lexi this afternoon, so Matt had a chance to catch up with his sister- until I put him on Maia duty and I got a chance to talk with Re for a while. As usual, Xander & Lexi played together really well, and were disappointed to have to part after a couple of hours. I was especially proud of the way Xander handled a situation when a younger boy got mad at him and started hitting him (the boy's mom came and intervened pretty quickly). Xander did not hit back, even though he got pretty upset. Good for him.


So I guess my life isn't exactly as exciting as life in the circus, but there's good fruit coming out of it, and I think I'll stay where I am for now and not run away to join the circus.